LOGO MANIA

While there is a plethora of books related to the auto industry—a quick search on Amazon brought up over 6,800 titles—a recent one is both fun and informative.

While there is a plethora of books related to the auto industry—a quick search on Amazon brought up over 6,800 titles—a recent one is both fun and informative. It’s Car Emblems: The Ultimate Guide to Automotive Logos Worldwide by Giles Chapman (Merrell Publishers; $22.95). While this might seem to be a rather constrained subject, something that could be well-paged by graphic designers who are interested in typography and typology, in point of fact, this book, which is sized (8.75 x 5.75-in) and bound with a flexible cover stock to resemble something that might be found in a glovebox, is engaging not so much from the point of view of Chapman’s descriptions of the vehicle badges, but for his interesting and eclectic history of the various brands. At the recent IAA in Frankfurt, for example, Chinese car manufacturer Geely made its presence known; what may not be well known is this: “On 6 November 1986 Geely founder Li Shufu made his debut in manufacturing by making refrigerators.” Also in the “Gs”: “Among the unique car bodies that Ghia built in the 1940s to 1960s were some amazing concept cars and a few roadgoing models for Chrysler, one of which was driven by Sammy Davis, Jr.” Why Chapman makes the Rat Packer reference is intriguing in and of itself, and is the sort of detail that makes this delightful. The book is well illustrated and just the sort of thing that anyone interested in the industry can profitably wile away the hours with.—GSV